William L. Dayton

William Lewis Dayton (17 February 1807-1 December 1864) was a US Senator from New Jersey (W) from 2 July 1842 to 3 March 1851, succeeding Samuel L. Southard and preceding Robert F. Stockton.

Biography
William Lewis Dayton was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in 1807, and he became an attorney in Freehold in 1830. He served in the state legislature and judiciary before serving in the US Senate from 1842 to 1851 as a Whig, and, in 1856, he was Republican candidate John C. Fremont's running mate during the presidential election. From 1861 to 1864, he served as President Abraham Lincoln's ambassador to France, keeping France out of the American Civil War. He died in Paris in 1864.